Code: Chinatown
by Imaginationqueen87
Summary: With Xana gone, Ulirch goes into the foreign exchange program that sends him to Chinatown, what new adventures and friends await him in Wu's Garden and what the heck does Kong Li want with PLUMS? Read and find out
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Three Delivery or Code Lyoko

A/n: this was a bizzare idea I had one day, I'm good at writing Code: Lyoko and I'm good at writing Three Delivery so why not bring them together? Hope you like it, and pls. no flames

* * *

**Code: Chinatown**

"Okay, I thought you had to have good grades for this" Ulrich said looking at the paper in his hands "The foreign exchange program."

"Who knows, maybe they thought a change of location would be good for you" Jeremy suggested

"Whatever they thought, with Xana gone it's going to get pretty boring around here." Odd said from his spot on the floor.

"He has a point" Yumi smiled "Aelita's here, safe, with us so we're free to do as we like for a change"

"She's right, either way, this is your choice, Ulrich" Aelita said from her perch on Jeremy's bed

"Just remember, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Ulrich" Jeremy stated.

Ulrich went back to his room his thoughts still churning, should he go? He wasn't sure, but he knew Jeremy was right; this was a great opportunity he had to admit that. After about an out of raking his brain he began to pack, he was going to go with the program.

'I hope I'm not making a big mistake' he thought wirily as Odd walked in

"So does this mean you're going?" Odd asked as Ulrich stuffed his journal (a/n: I know in the show they called it a diary, but for some reason I have trouble saying a guy has a "diary") into his bag

"Yep, Jeremy's right, besides, I might like it" Ulrich said "It's not like I have a whole lot to do here"

"That's true, but I hope you don't forget to write us, good buddy." Odd gave Ulrich one of his rare serious looks.

"I'll write, don't worry about that, I just hope my mobile will work over there"

"Where are you going? You never said"

"The USA" Ulrich said indifferently

"State side, cool," Odd grinned

"San Francisco, California, according to this the family I'm staying with is the Wu family"

"Japanese, Yumi could give you some great pointers" Odd stated

"With a name like 'Wu' I would guess they were Chinese" Yumi stated from the door, "but I'm sure I could give you some good tips on how to make a good first impression, that is if they follow their native customs. Let me see that paper."

Ulrich handed Yumi the paper and Yumi looked it over finding a name "Mei Hua Wu" she read now let's see if you can pronounce"

"Mei Hua" Ulrich repeated trying his best to imitate the way Yumi had said it but the accent made him wince

"Not bad, we'll keep trying so you can get it right by the time you have to meet her face to face." Yumi said

"How are you sure it's a woman?"

"The name is feminine, besides it said so in the information about her" Yumi pointed out

"Oh…"

"How about I teach you how to use chopsticks, I mean, that is one of the few things the Chinese and the Japanese can really agree on"

"How would I, a German kid, explain how I happen to know how to use chopsticks?" Ulrich asked

"Tell them you had a Japanese friend at school who taught you" Odd said

"Hey, it's the truth" Yumi shrugged figuring honesty was the best policy.

After a few days Ulrich had mastered using chopsticks just in time for his flight to America.

"Good luck, Ulrich" Yumi hugged Ulrich, which for her was a rare gesture.

"Thanks, Yumi" Ulrich stated "and guys, I'll keep in touch, okay."

"Okay…"

Ulrich got to the airport and momentarily wondered if he was making the right choice, then he set his jaw that he was and pulled his passport out of his pocket to be checked.

The plane ride seemed to take forever, and he was glad when they finally landed and he went into the terminal.

'How do I know where to go?' he thought momentarily then saw a teen girl about his age holding up a sign with his name on it in neat handwriting. 'Ah, there we go' the girl was Asian, probably of Chinese decent, and looked quite confident in herself, a lot like Yumi did, but they held few physical similarities. This girl was shorter than Yumi, he figured, by about an inch or so.

"Hello, I'm Ulrich Stern" he stated

"Sue Yee, and this is my Nana, Mei Hua"

"Well, Sue, it's good to meet you" he turned to Mei Hua "and you too"

"Well, Ulrich, I guess we need to get your things" Mei Hua stated it was as if she was unsure about how this was to work, and frankly, when it came to that awkward boat she was in, he was first oarsman.

"Okay," Sue went out ahead and Ulrich turned to Mei Hua "Do you want me to call you Mei Hua, or Mrs. Wu?"

Mei Hua thought for a moment before a gentle smile graced her features "Nana is fine" she stated "you wouldn't be the only one outside of the family to call me that"

"Okay" Ulrich agreed it was easier for him to say and remember; besides he had very little contact with his own grandparents so this worked fine for him.

They got his things from the carrousel and got ready to leave.

They arrived at home to be welcomed by Sid, Tobey, Barney, and Calvin. Then Ulrich's jet lag finally caught up to him and he decided to take a short nap.

Mei Hua had warned her trio about keeping their secret and they promised to do their best to do exactly that, but Kong Li had other plans for Ulrich.

_To Be Continued_


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Ulrich started school with Sue, Sid and Tobey, but he was a grade behind them which made him rather confused. He knew for a fact that he and Sue were the same age, but she was a grade ahead of him.

"Um, Sue, shouldn't you be in the same grade as I am? He asked

"Yeah, but I skipped a grade in elementary school" Sue explained

"Oh, then I guess you're really smart"

"Yeah, you could say that" Sue shrugged

That evening Wu's Garden was extra busy and the deliveries had stacked up pretty high.

"Hey guys, do you think I could help out?" Ulrich asked

"You don't really know your way around Chinatown." Sue said

"Well, he could go with one of us, it is going to be difficult to carry all these on our bikes" Sid observed

"Yeah, and I'm better on a skateboard anyway" Ulrich said

Mei Hua watched how Ulrich meshed with the other three or didn't as the case might be

"I don't think he should go when we're this busy" Tobey interjected

"I like Sid's idea, he isn't going to learn his way around Chinatown if we don't show him" Sue said

"Fine, then he can go with Sid" Tobey said in a huff

"That's fine by me, what about you, Ulrich?"

"Doesn't matter to me" Ulrich replied

They split up the orders and went their separate ways. When they got back Sue, Sid and Tobey had training and Ulrich went to write a letter to Yumi and his friends then update his journal and do homework.

They found Training interesting but they all had the same concern; that this was going to be harder to hide than originally thought. Ulrich was way more aware of his surroundings than Barney or Calvin Wu. Mei Hua secretly wondered if it would be better for all of them to just let Ulrich in on their secret as it would make their lives easier, but first she wanted to wait and see if he could be trusted.

One week later and the day's deliveries were destined to be a disaster. Kong Li had finally decided to come out of his hole and that always meant problems.

Sue looked up just in time to keep from getting clothes lined on Kong Li's staff that he had in her path.

"Hey, watch where you put that thing, you could hurt somebody!" Ulrich yelled

"Oh, and who might you be?" Kong Li asked looking at Ulrich curiously

"None of your business" Ulrich replied

"Ah, you've got a temper too" Kong Li said "Mei Hua must not have told you about me"

Ulrich stopped in front of Kong Li and Kong Li drew back to hit Ulrich and Sue just knew Ulrich was about to get hurt. She was stunned when Ulrich blocked the attack with practiced ease, then quickly and effectively knocked the wind out of Kong Li's lungs and his sails with a single well placed punch.

"You are a good fighter, but you know nothing of the secrets of Chinatown and what Mei Hua Wu has kept back from you"

Sue once again felt the dread rise in her as she feared that Kong Li would tell Ulrich everything about the cookbook and their magic, but the question was, would Ulrich believe Kong Li or her and Mei Hua?

_To Be Continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

Srry I took so long with this update, I kida lost the hard copy of this fic and had to track it down, that and I recently moved. It seems like you always lose something when you move. Well, sorry again and here is the long awated third chapter of Code: Chinatown  
ttfn (ta ta for now)  
Detective E Yin

And now w/o further ado **ON WITH THE FIC!**

Kong Li disappeared leaving Ulrich to think about what was said

"He's full of it... Nana isn't keeping something from me, is she?" he asked

Sue froze, she couldn't very well tell him that their enemy was telling the truth.

( POV Sue)

I scramble for an answer that Ulrich will believe because I know Nana would have a fit if I revealed the cookbook to him. I'm not sure exactly how I should do this. So I say that as far as I knew Nana was being truthful to him and he seems to buy it.

"Well, that was interesting" he says as we start back

"Yeah, it was" I agree wincing inwardly at the blatant lie I had to tell.

(POV Ulrich)

I listen to Sue and let her think I believe her, but I know when I am being handled. She is hiding something from me, I just know it, but I can't prove anything. So after we return to the restaurant I go into the garden to practice and clear my head, but that had to wait until Nana, Sue, Sid and Tobey get through in the garden. So I do some stretching in my room to pass the time.

I get into the garden and start my workout.

"Ulrich..." it's Nana "Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine" I reply wincing inwardly at the fact that I knew that was a lie and apparently so did she.

"You seem distant, I was wondering if something happened" she said

"Oh... Sue and I... we met up with this strange guy on our delivery route and he said that you were keeping something from me. He also nearly knocked Sue off her bike with a staff that had a dragon's head at the top"

I heard her mutter a name under her breath, but it was too soft for me to understand what she said. As she speaks the name her face seems to lose color.

"Nana, what's wrong?" I ask

"I do not know what he could be..." I know those words are false as soon as they leave her lips, but I just don't know how I know that.

She gives an exasperated sigh

"Ulrich if you are going to live here and work with us you need to know the truth. I think that it is best you hear it from me than him."

"Who is he, Nana?" I ask

"A man I once called my friend, his name is Kong Li" She replied "Before I tell you anymore you have to promise that you will tell no one what I am about to tell you, thus far it has remained a secret and please don't make me regret my decision to let you know it"

"I promise Nana, no one will know of this unless you tell me that it is okay to tell them" I said solemnly I know that it had to be serious by the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice. It was low leaving no room to question why, not that I would have asked anyway.

(Third person)

Mei Hua walked to the Scholar Stone and entered the combination to get out the magical cookbook that she had held secret from the world for so long.

"This is not just an ordinary cookbook, it is magic, each recipe is a spell that does something different, some can seem innocent and harmless but in the wrong hands this book could spell disaster for Chinatown and the rest of the world." She said "this is what Kong LI wants, it once belonged to our master, but he stole it to try and take over the world... I managed to stop him, but in doing so I had to scatter the pages of the book."

"How have you kept the rest of the world from being effected?" Ulrich asked

"I put up a force field years ago to keep Kong Li and his magic contained within the borders of Chinatiown. If I hadn't he would be unstoppable"

"Who besides us is there to stop him?"

"That would be..." She started

"Us" Sid finished from where he stood in front of the door, Sue on his right Tobey on his left

"So you did know, Sue" I said feeling slightly betrayed

"Ulrich, I didn't know that Nana was going to tell you, I was told this had to be a secret." She said

"Ulrich, do not be angry with her, she was doing as she was told by me." Mei Hua stated "If you are going to be angry at anyone about this it should be me. I was the one that said to keep this, I had no idea Kong Li would use it against me"

"I know what it means to swear to someone that you would keep a secret, I've been there before, so I guess as hurt as I am I can't be angry because I would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed." Ulrich sighed "Now maybe I can actually help you guys, I do know some martial arts"

"You're pretty talented, I saw the way you knocked the wind out of Kong Li"

"You did WHAT?" Mei Hua demanded

"I'm fine, Nana, our phys. ed. teacher was a Penkak Silat instructor and he gave lessons after school. I was one of only two students to participate in those lessons." Ulrich explained

"Still, you shouldn't have been so foolish, he could have severely hurt you" Mei Hua scolded

"Shouldn't we see how good he is before we start judging his decision to strike Kong Li?" Sid asked

"You want to spar me?" Ulrich asked

"Yep,"

Ulrich and Sid sparred for a few minuets and it ended up a draw, it was obvious that what Ulrich might have lacked in brute force he more than made up for in agility.

"You are good, but still I am concerned that Kong Li is better" Mei Hua said "it worries me that you went blindly against Kong Li, not knowing what he is capable of"

Ulrich sighed "What style do you use, I've never seen some of those moves"

"Xiaolin animal style, I use a lot of tiger style" Sid replied "but as Nana said we're still learning so we haven't figured out which animal we are yet"

"But what about you, Nana, ceartainly you have an animal" Ulrich turned to Mei Hua

"Dragon, but when I was young I was a crane"

"Could you teach me Xiaolin martial arts?" Ulrich asked

"Of course Ulrich," Mei Hua replied "I just ask one thing, that you help my guardians protect the cookbook and Chinatown"

"I will Nana, as long as I am in Chinatown I will help them... no I will be one of the team" Ulrich said

"Thank you Ulrich" Mei Hua said graciously

"It's no problem, Nana"

_To Be Continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

Sue Yee wasn't sure, at first, if telling Ulrich was a good idea. Then when Kong Li became active about a month later she realized he was a good asset to the team.

"Well we've got more deliveries, but I think I'll stay here... someone needs to be here if Kong Li comes for the cookbook" Ulrich said

"Okay, but remember, if Kong Li thinks Nana is alone he may come in with a hard hit so be careful" Sid whispered to Ulrich

"Don't worry, I'll keep my eyes open for him" Ulrich replied

"okay, thanks man"

"You didn't have to stay, Ulrich, I will be fine on my own, I have before." Mei Hua said

"I know, Nana, but I just wanted to make sure" Ulrich replied

Ulrich and Mei Hua were talking about different subjects, including martial arts when they heard a disturbance outside. They got out front to see Kong Li waiting

"Ah, Mei Hua, and the new brat"

"I'll show you brat..."

"Ulrich" Mei Hua said in a scolding tone

"So your name is Ulrich" Kong Li mused aloud "You look bored"

"I'm not bored, I'm just tired of seeing your ugly mug" Ulrich deadpanned

"And a since of humor too, you are the complete pacage"

"What do you want Kong Li?" Mei Hua demanded

"What do I always want, Mei Hua?"

"You will never get the cookbook"

Kong Li attacked Mei Hua directly, bypassing Ulrick entirly.

Jo Ling got there just as Kong Li pinned Mei Hua to the wall, her arm twisted behind her back

"Now will you tell me where our master's cookbook is"

"I will never tell you where it is, you do not deserve the honor of touching that book" she said furiously

"Is that what you think, Mei Hua"

A crowd had gathered around the fight, unaware of what was really going on. The nearby witnesses heard a sick crack and most knew that meant someone now had a broken bone.

Detective Ling started to go after Kong Li and he ran. Ling and a civilian took out after him as soon as he released Mei Hua, Ulrich was hot on their heels.

Mei Hua pushed herself to her feet and went to Wu's Garden. She opened the door and ran directly into someone that she immediatly realized was Calvin Wu... her son. She felt him lift her from the ground, but she was in too much pain to protest.

Calvin was headed outside when his mother came inside. He lifted her from the floor and placed her in the nearby booth.

"Mom, what happened?" he asked

"It is not important, Calvin" she replied

"Mom..." Calvin noticed how Mei Hua was cradling her arm "let me see that arm" he said the irony of the situation not excaping him, but he wasn't going to say anything.

Mei Hua started to protest, but she then realized Calvin would have argued with her, so she relented and let her son see her arm

Calvin went to push Mei Hua's sleeve back and noticed that part of the bone moved one way and the rest went the other, a sure sign of a fracture. When that happened Mei Hua pulled her arm back.

"Barney get a bag of ice"

"Why, Dad?" Barney asked

"Just get it" Calvin snapped

Meanwhile Jo and Ulrich were stunned when Kong Li got away when they had chased him into a closed alley.

Jo got her two way radio out of her car and went to check on Mei Hua.

"Mei Hua..." she said as she got into Wu's Garden, which is where witnesses had told her the female victim had gone.

"Chinatown police department, I just thought I would check on you." she said then noticed her arm

"Do you want me to call for paramedics?"

"Yes, please do" Mei Hua said

"Okay, Jo walked away, using the radio to call for the needed medical personnel.

For Mei Hua this was a new experience that she would have rather not had. She had never broken a bone in her life until that day.

The medics arrived expecting something completely different from what they found. When they had heard her age and they didn't expect her to be quite so able bodied as she was.

"Mrs. Wu, do you take medication?"

"No, I do not" she replied

Sue, Sid and Tobey got to Wu's Garden from their deliveries to see the ambulance out front with it's lights on. They looked among themselves in confusion, then went around back to go inside.

"Barney, what's going on?" Sue asked

"Nana is being taken to the hospital..." the rest of what Barney said was lost to Sue as she ran into the lobby only to be grabbed by Detective Ling

"Mrs. Ling!"

"Sue, let them do their job" JO said and pushed Sue back into the kitchen before she could protest further.

"Barney, are you sure you don't know what happened" Sid asked

Ulrich was nowhere to be seen but that was the last of the trio's concerns.

They followed the ambulance to the hospital in hopes they could get some answers.

Sid went up to the reception desk

"I need to find out about Mei Hua Wu, she was just brought in by ambulance" Sid said

"Are you related to her?"

"We are her foster children, my name is Sid Yee"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Yee I cannot tell you anything about her condition."

Sid left the counter and noticed that his sister was getting more upset.

"Calm down meimei, we'll find out something" SId said hoping that would calm his sister.

He then went to ask someone else only to get the same answer only with an explanation that he wasn't cleared to have the information he was asking for.

A while past and Mei Hua started out, Dr. Andrew Ling was walking with her

"Nana!" Sue hugged Mei Hua and Dr. Ling looked concerned.

"Sid, did she not know what happened?" Andrew asked as Mei Hua tried to calm Sue

"None of us did, Dr. Ling, we got to Wu's to see an ambulance, Barney told us that Nana was being taken to the hospital, but he didn't know why" Sid paused "we got here and no one would tell us anything"

Dr. Ling looked at Mei Hua's file and saw that Sid was allowed to get medical information about Mei Hua. He turned to the nurse that Sid had spoke to earlier and began to speak to her.

Sue had calmed considerably and was no longer hugging Mei Hua

"Sue, it is okay, I'm fine" Mei Hua smiled gently

Dr. Ling turned back to Mei Hua as Sue, Sid and Tobey started out

"Why was Sue like that, it seemed so unusual for her"

"I am not surprised," Mei Hua said her trio out of ear shot. "Sue lost her parents at an early age and this incident must have brought back the memories that she had blocked as a small girl"

"How old was she when this happened?"

"She was four years old" Mei Hua sighed sadly

Andrew shook his head, Sue's reaction made a lot of sense now .

They got home and Mei Hua began to realize what a problem Kong Li had handed her. She was right handed and now with her right arm broke it made things difficult. The frustration mounted as she tried to do her everyday tasks.

Ulrich came outside and sat with Mei Hua.

"Nana, I'm sorry, if I had only..."

"Ulrich, do not blame yourself, you had no idea what Kong Li would have done. He is ruthless, and to be truthful I would rather be the one injured than see one of you children get hurt. I can stay back until my arm heals, I will be fine"

"I know" Ulrich smiled slightly "If you need help, just let me know"

"I will, Ulrich" Mei Hua said gratefully

In the short time Ulrich had been in Chinatown Mei Hua had realized that he was a stubborn young man, he had at first seemed shy, but once he got to know the family he began to open up. This revealed the considerate young man that Ulrich really was

Mei Hua now realized that Ulrich was a lot like Sid, but there were some things that were unique to Ulrich.

The Next Day

Ulrich pushed his hair from his face as he worked out with the other three, the day was fairly warm, but no one seemed to let that bug them too much.

"Sue, Sid, Tobey, Ulrich!" Calvin called

"Go on ahead" Mei Hua instructed "just be careful Kong Li has yet to use his recipe"

They got inside to see four deliveries on the counter

"Let's see," Sue grabbed a back "Sullivan street"

"I'll take that one" Ulrich said

Tobey looked at the next one "Drum Street, not it!"

"Not it" Sid chimed

"I'll take it, and I just might say hi to Mr. Von Yang while I'm out"

Tobey got one for Oleander Street and Sid got one for River Street.

Meanwhile at the market a cloaked figure left with a bag of purple fruit in his hand and a sly grin on his face.

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Sue returned to Wu's Garden and found Mei Hua pacing, which was unusual.

"Nana, what's going on?" Sue asked

"Sue, I have a bad feeling, there is magic in the air" Mei Hua stated

Sue knew not to question Mei Hua's instincts where magic was concerned

"Sue, get the cookbook"

"Okay, Nana" Sue replied and went to get the book

"Nana, do you think Kong Li would use a magic recipe?"

"I would not be surprised, he knows that I cannot fight and will have difficulty with my magic until my arm heals" Mei Hua sighed

"Yeah, but he forgot about me" Sue smirked "just tell me what you need me to do"

Sid and Tobey arrived back at Wu's garden as Ulrich got to the market; he wanted to get a snack with his tip money. He passed the plum display and got a strange feeling that something wasn't right.

'I think I spent way too much time fighting Xana' Ulrich thought unaware that the fact that he had fought Xana had given him a sixth sense, almost like Spiderman's spider sense, but it hadn't yet become truly anything beyond a gut feeling.

Ulrich went back to Wu's Garden empty handed, he figured he could get a snack there, the information he had was much more important than the snack he was hoping to get.

Mei Hua noticed that Ulrich was acting differently.

"Ulrich, what is wrong?" Mei Hua asked

"I went to the market a little while ago and got a strange feeing as I passed where they had the plums on display, I think something bad is going to happen"

Mei Hua knew not to question Ulrich's bad feelings; she had questioned one before and ended up with a broken arm to show for it.

Sue found out that the plums, for the most part, were bought by one person, a man wearing a long brown cloak and carrying a red staff.

"Kong Li" Sue said

"Sounds like it, but what would he want with plums?" Sid asked

No one seemed to have the answer and that bugged Ulrich.

Later that day Tobey found something interesting, it was candy that tasted like plums. He didn't notice the blue flash that signified the magic held in the candy.

Ulrich went into the garden and was immediately attacked by Tobey. It was immediately clear that something wasn't right about Tobey.

"Tobey, come on, what's wrong with you?" Ulrich demanded; then noticed that Tobey's eyes were completely purple. "Oh, no..."

Ulrich headed for the door, but Tobey was faster.

'Man, he's like Odd, only worse!' Ulrich thought bitterly then Tobey landed a punch in Ulrich's gut that immediately knocked the wind out of Ulrich.

'He's not that strong' Ulrich felt worried that this was a magic recipe

Mei Hua, Sue and Sid rushed outside; Sue had a small vial in her hand. Sid went to join the fray. Ulrich figured that gave him a bit of an edge. Sid was stronger than Ulrich, but neither of them really wanted to hurt Tobey.

That was when Tobey decided to spit something dark purple at Ulrich; he missed and hit Sue instead.

"Meimei!" Sid cried as Sue nearly dropped the vial, Mei Hua managed a left handed catch and they gave Tobey the contents of the vial and he instantly passed out.

Mei Hua felt the dread rise as she fully realized the gravity of the situation.

'Kong Li, you really are a monster! You had to pick the venom plum sauce recipe to use while I was out of commission, didn't you?' She thought

"Ulrich, help Sid get Tobey into the basement, I will help Sue" Mei Hua said

"Yes, ma'am" Ulrich immediately went to help Sid

None of the three conscious teens argued with Mei Hua, they all knew that in this situation, as with any concerning magic, listening to her wisdom was the best thing to do.

"Do not worry, Sue, everything will be just fine" Mei Hua assured Sue gently.

Sid and Ulrich were first into the basement, Sue and Mei Hua followed behind them. Sid grabbed some extra pillows and they settled Tobey on them, Sue sat close to him.

"Sid I'm going to give you a list of ingredients that I need you to get out of the kitchen for me immediately. We have no time to waist" Mei Hua whispered the last part as to spare Sue from becoming more frightened.

Ulrich was trying his best to help Sue, but in the end there was little he could do for her.

"You know what recipe this is?" Sid asked

"Yes, it is a plum sauce recipe that my master referred to as 'Venom Plum Sauce' he had it in the very back of the cookbook with several warnings, I had thought that I still had that recipe, it is apparent now that I did not." Mei Hua sighed "either way, he made me memorize the antidote should such an emergency occur… this is one of the most dangerous single recipes in the cookbook it renders the person that consumes it a mere puppet to be controlled by the one that cooked the recipe. It is very difficult and extremely dangerous as you have seen." Mei Hua looked solemn "I am glad now that I memorized the antidote and had it written down in a special place. I hid it down here should I need it."

Sid took the list of ingredients and headed back to the kitchen and started grabbing them off the shelf as fast as he could. He was horrified to discover that they only had half of the ingredients on the list.

"Oh no…" Sid whispered and took what he had downstairs Mei Hua.

"Oh dear, this isn't good" Mei Hua said

"What isn't good, Nana?" Sue asked her eyes now covered in gauze soaked in a recipe that should stave off whatever effects the stuff that Tobey spit in her eyes would have

Mei Hua had explained the recipe's effects for the most part earlier, but she had wanted to spare them the more gruesome details until she had absolutely no choice but to tell them.

Sid was sent to get the rest of the ingredients from the market and herb shop, while Ulrich helped Mei Hua combine what ingredients they had. He was also getting a crash course on how to read Chinese, Mei Hua had promised that she would teach him how to read Chinese more proficiently after the danger had passed.

"Nana, would it be okay if I went to sleep for a little while?" Sue asked it was late in the evening so it didn't surprise Mei Hua that Sue was getting sleepy.

"Go ahead, Sue, I will wake you when the antidote is ready"

Fighting off the discomfort Sue soon fell asleep leaning on the pile of blankets and pillows that Tobey was resting on.

Mei Hua turned her attention back to Ulrich and couldn't help think that she would be in a major hole if she had not told Ulrich about the magic cookbook when she did.

She was discovering that Ulrich was a rather good student and capable of keeping a cool head under extreme pressure.

"Nana, something's not right…" Ulrich stated

"I know, I feel it too" Mei Hua replied, she was surprised that he picked up on such subtle inconsistencies especially given his young age as he was a few months younger than her youngest.

"Nana, about that secret my friends and I had kept, I think that may be part of the reason why I feel these things" Ulrich said

This raised several questions in Mei Hua's mind, what kind of secret were Ulrich and his friends keeping?

"After we've given them the antidote and know that they are going to be okay, I'll tell you the secret." Ulrich turned to look at Sue and Tobey. To him, this was like a Xana attack, and Sue and Tobey were the targets.

Sid returned with the needed ingredients and he helped Ulrich finish and administer the antidote.

"Oh no, what have I done?" Tobey said

"Nothing, you weren't in control" Mei Hua said trying to reassure Tobey

"Now we _have_ to get that recipe before Kong Li can use it again," Sid stated

Sue and Tobey agreed with him.

"Ulrich are you in?" Sue asked

"Yes" Ulrich replied his expression serious.

Mei Hua watched as the teens left to battle Kong Li.

"Wait, shouldn't someone stay with Nana, in case Kong Li comes here?" Tobey asked

"We all will, knowing Kong Li, he'll come to us" Sid said

"Yeah, and I need to tell you guys something" Ulrich stated

They returned to Wu's Garden and went into the kitchen so Ulrich could tell them what they needed to know.

"Do you remember when I told you that my friends and I kept a secret? I talked to them and they said it was okay I told you the secret"

"What is it, Ulrich?" Sue asked

"A little over a year and a half ago my friend Jeremy turned on a super computer and it revealed a virtual world. In which was a girl and a corrupt artificial life form, known simply as Xana, it wanted to destroy all life, especially Jeremy. It later grew to include myself, Yumi and a boy named Odd, and yes that is his real name." Ulrich explained "We managed to get the girl out of the virtual world and defeat the evil, but it left a lasting effect on us all. We are closer and I think it also caused me to develop a sixth sense.

"The last two times that Kong Li has attacked he told me that he had a bad feeling before the attack" Mei Hua added

"The worse the event the worse the feeling I get… or that's how it's worked so far" Ulrich said

"It makes sense, a worse event would cause worse vibes" Sue said

"If I had only known how to interpret them sooner, maybe Nana wouldn't have a cast on her arm" Ulrich started to head outside but Mei Hua stopped him.

"Ulrich, I though we went through this all ready, we have no idea what Kong Li would have done to you if he hadn't gotten me first. Kong Li is ruthless, we can never forget that"

"So was Xana, but we never had this happen!"

Ulrich ran outside and Mei Hua watched in concern

"Nana, everyone deals with this differently, we just need to give him time" Sue said placing a hand on Mei Hua's shoulder.

"That, I am afraid, we may not have" Mei Hua sighed nervously.

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Ulrich got to the garden and began to practice to clear his head. Today he went through the motions of Penkak Silat and basic Xaiolin animal style.

Sid had followed Ulrich out to the garden

"Ulrich I know how you feel…"

"No you…"

"Don't say that I don't know, Ulrich, Nana raised me from the time I was seven years old, and I'm wondering if I should have told you to go and stayed here myself." Sid said "I'm wondering, could I have made a difference, the fact that I know what Kong Li is capable of could have changed this situation. Ulrich, we have to realize something, we can beat ourselves up, ask 'what if' until we're blue in the face and it won't heal Nana's arm, it won't change anything. The only thing that we can do now is get this recipe back and watch over Nana until her arm heals so Kong Li can't hurt her worse"

Ulrich sighed and stopped what he was doing

"I guess you're right" he sighed "my blaming myself isn't helping anything. I guess, Nana is… what I mean to say is, I don't get a lot of contact with my grandparents, on either side of my family. So, when she suggested calling her Nana I jumped at it because I wanted her to be family, and well I guess it became that way to me. I hate it when people hurt my friends or family, and when Kong Li hurt her I felt like there was something I should have done, something I could have done…"

"But you know that isn't true," Sid continued

Ulrich nodded in agreement, that was all too true.

"Let's go back inside, Nana is getting worried about you" Sid said

They got inside to see that Kong Li was there

"Well well, Mei Hua, now all four children can watch you…"

"Say fall and you'll get a taste of my shoe" Ulrich said

"Ah, Ulrich, you're still here, do you…?"

"Know that _secret_, yes, Nana told me about that before you ever broke her arm!" Ulrich interjected furiously

"Oh really…?"

"Really…"

Kong Li attacked Ulrich who dodged the attack easily, which surprised Kong Li

"Oh yeah, I'm trained in martial arts… that was _my_ secret" Ulrich said as Sue, Sid and Tobey joined in to retrieve the recipe.

"You haven't seen the last of me" Kong Li roared

Ulrich mock yawned in a very unimpressed fashion as Kong Li left in a huff.

"Good work, children, but Ulrich I have to say you played it a little dangerously"

"Sorry, Nana, but we did get the recipe" Ulrich said

"Just be more careful next time"

"Will do, Nana," Ulrich replied truthfully and he was true to his word about being more careful and keeping the cookbook secret.

The day finally came that Ulrich was to return to Kadic. He had learned so much more than he had ever expected.

"We'll miss you, Ulrich" Sue said

"Yeah, I'll miss sparring with you" Sid said "and… I'll just miss having you around"

"I'll miss you too" Tobey said, Ulrich and Tobey hadn't been that close, but Ulrich had to admit that he had a way of making a lasting impression on a person

"It was great to have you here, Ulrich, I am also very glad you came and will miss you a lot." Mei Hua said, her arm was completely healed by this time and Ulrich was confident that they would be fine.

"Don't worry, Nana, I will keep in touch, and who knows, we might even get to see each other again"

Ulrich left Chinatown with several new skills, including the ability to read Chinese as well he could French and do some simple magic, but he would be true to his word and not reveal the magic to others unless he got approval from Mei Hua or as he still liked to call her 'Nana'.

**The End**


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